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LA GRANGE PARK – Nazareth senior and returning starting offensive lineman Aaron Bustamante is determined to contribute more this football season.
“I asked coach (Tim) Racki if I could start playing more defense because last season I didn’t get a whole lot of reps,” Bustamante said. “I love it. I love going both ways.”
In the season opener Aug. 26, the 6-foot Bustamante was among the defensive heroes as Nazareth edged Kankakee in the much heralded meeting of the top two rated preseason teams in Class 5A. The Roadrunners won 2-0.
Yes, really, 2-0.
“We were not expecting it to be 2-0. We did know this was going to be a battle. They’re a great team, but we countered all of their stuff,” Bustamante said. “I was thinking maybe something like 20s, maybe a touchdown we’d beat them by or a field goal, but definitely not 2-0. That’s like a soccer game right there.”
The game’s only points came on the second play from scrimmage. Kankakee quarterback Larenz Walters recovered a low shotgun snap near the back of the end zone and ran out of bounds for a safety.
“This one’s going to be up there [for coaching victories] because I never had a soccer score football game. I’ve never had a victory like this,” Racki joked. “It’s up there because the sustained effort, I have not seen that Week 1 from my teams and that’s preparation.”
Great defense and first-game jitters dictated the lack of scoring.
After the safety, Nazareth reached the 1 on its ensuing possession but suffered its first of three lost fumbles. The second came just before halftime at the Kays’ 15.
The Roadrunners’ defense, meanwhile, thwarted two drives that reached the 2 and 6.
Gabe Kaminski, Tommy Taylor, Finn O’Meara and Braden Ferguson combined for four sacks, James Penley had an interception and Bustamante, Brady Gorman and Nolan Daly had tackles for loss.
Top-rated Kankakee is coming off its greatest season ever. Kankakee reached the 5A state title game before losing 34-15 to Fenwick, which beat the Roadrunners 28-17 in the quarterfinals.
“Those are two great defensive teams. They’re ranked No. 1 for a reason,” Racki said. “Your first test being a team that’s fast, big, gets to the ball is quite a test. I know it’s going to help them because it’s not Week 9, it’s Week 1, as I keep telling the kids.”
After its goal-line fumble recovery, Kankakee marched all the way to the Nazareth 2 early in the second quarter before a false start penalty. On the next play from the 7, Ferguson got in during the handoff to jar the ball loose and Ethan Enriquez recovered at the 17.
Bustamante’s big stop came late in the third quarter. On fourth-and-1 at the 6, he blew through the shotgun formation for a 2-yard loss. Bustamante starts at left offensive tackle after being a guard in 2021.
His big defensive play surprised even him.
“The crowd, there’s this huge uproar and then I look to the sidelines and see the offensive line coming out,” Bustamante said. “I didn’t even know it was a fourth-down play and it was a game-changer definitely.”
Kankakee’s outstanding defense limited Nazareth to 139 total yards, including minus-5 yards and one first down in the second half. Standout running back Justin Taylor, a Wisconsin recruit, was lost just 1:25 into the second half with what Racki said was a minor Achilles injury. Most of the Roadrunners’ yardage came on three pass completions by sophomore quarterback Logan Malachuk between 22 and 33 yards. The 33-yarder to Penley got the ball to the 6 before a sack, penalty and turnover ended the drive.
As time expired, Kankakee reached its 40 after a pass interference penalty. Tommy Taylor knocked down Walters’ final pass near the 30.
“[We learned] our defense is really good and it was a gut punch Week 1 and now we just get to see what other teams are like and see how we can improve,” Malachuk said. “We saw defensively we can hang with them. Offensively we’ve got some things to do but I feel we’re in a good position.”